Farmer's market
by byzinha
Summary: Also filed under "tales of Caitlin Snow and Mick Rory" and "the one where their usual spot is the farmer's market near the train station".
1. Avocados

**Author's note** : I accidentally discovered that KillerWave is a thing and I kind of fell in love with it? And I also saw this tumblr post at incorrectlotquotes and the idea just came to me, so here we are.

 **The characters of Legends of Tomorrow and The Flash are not mine.**

If you were cool, you'd drop a review for me at the end, wouldn't you? hehe

* * *

 **Avocados**

It's one of those warm spring days that make Mick Rory get out of the house in short sleeves without much worry about the visible scars on his hands and arms. It also was Farmer's market day, and he wouldn't have anything to buy if only Lisa hadn't looked at him with those puppy blue eyes that meant 'Mick, don't you think it's a beautiful day for some of your delicious beets Gnocchi?', and you've got to understand that the girl had a hold on him ever since he first laid eyes on her (she was about 18 months old and had just started to talk. She also was the reason why Len couldn't go out, so he invited Mick over to babysit. She walked straight to his arms within five minutes and had a lot of serious baby talk to tell him for about a hour before falling asleep on his chest).

So Mick was at the farmer's market that morning, which, to be fair, was one of his hobbies, sorting through sweet potatoes to mix with the beets in order to get the right texture for the Gnocchi while also keeping an eye on the green leaves, because he was pretty sure that a fresh pesto would go just perfectly with the pasta when he heard her.

"How can you tell which avocado is better for a guacamole?" The woman asked the farmer by Mick's left, and the arsonist looked over to see none less than Caitlin Snow. "You see, it's my friend's birthday and we're planning a prank-"

That was quite the surprise, and Mick couldn't help but chuckle, which caught the Doc's attention. As soon as Caitlin saw him, her eyes widened and she gave one step to the side.

"Hi, Doc," he greeted. It was not like she didn't know about his time with the Legends, he even had to save the Flash's ass a couple times since he came back home, but he also couldn't blame her for being careful around him. Mick Rory had made quite the first impression on her.

"Mr. Rory," Caitlin replied, still wide-eyed, hands gripping her market bag fiercely.

"Fancy seeing you here," Mick joked, and turned back to his potatoes, separating the last ones he'd need before he'd go to the basil.

"You're at the-" she stuttered. "Hm, this is the farmer's market."

"I'm aware."

"What are you doing here?"

Mick glanced at her quickly.

"Shopping."

She said nothing. He had nothing else to say. He chose his basil, nutmeg, some spinach and thyme just in case, and paid for everything with a fifty. When he turned around to go look for some parmesan cheese, Caitlin was still on the same place, still looking at him, but now with curiosity instead of the usual layer of fear.

Mick stepped closer to her and this time she didn't move, so he reached for one of the avocados in front of her, looking for spots in its dark skin and giving it a gentle squeeze to see if it was mature enough. He hummed satisfied and handed the fruit to her.

"See how the skin is clean?" He asked, and Caitlin needed a couple of seconds to diverge her eyes from his face to the avocado in her hand, and then she nodded, turning it around. "Now squeeze, just a little bit of pressure. See how it's soft?"

"Yeah," she said low, a few lines between her eyebrows. Caitlin looked up at Mick again, just in time to see him put on his sunglasses.

"That's the right kind of avocado you'll need for your guacamole. It goes particularly well with that Ají amarillo chili," he pointed the yellowish pepper on the neighbor stand. "Even though it's not how the receipt goes. Trust me, it's good. See you around, Doc."

He walked by her, and he didn't look back to see if she was looking, but he did hear her say, maybe a little too late-

"Thanks, Mick."

-which was very polite, and made him wonder if maybe, just maybe, he could break that first impression on her and build a new one.


	2. Pitaya

**Pitaya**

The farmer's market had been one of Caitlin's favorite places since she was a little girl. There was something about the smell of fresh fruits and vegetables that soothed her. Cooking wasn't her specialty; damn, until a couple of weeks before she couldn't pick an avocado to save her life, but she enjoyed the market and the homy food quite a lot. None of her friends ever shared the same enthusiasm as her.

Out of all the people she knew, Caitlin never expect to find that understanding in Central City's #1 Arsonist Mick Rory, and she didn't come to this conclusion when he helped her pick avocados. No, the conclusion came the second time she saw him there, leaning over some fruits to pick a coconut, testing its weight, shaking it near his ear, smelling its shell. He seemed… at home. As if that was what he was supposed to do. And she guessed that she didn't need a whole lot of imagination to picture him with his own farm or, at least, a tomato garden.

Caitlin was close when she saw that Mick wasn't alone – Lisa was with him, and she was commenting on a fruit she was eating.

"It tastes like nothing," the Glider shrugged, popping another bite of the fruit in her mouth. "What is its name again?"

"Pitaya," Mick grunted setting the coconut down. "And it's tasty."

"It's not," she argued.

"Why didn't you stop eating, then?" he pointed, and Lisa pouted.

"I've already started, won't let half a fruit go to waste."

"You do that," he said, shaking his head. "Damn kid."

"Why do I have to use it?" Lisa asked, and Mick sighed.

"You said you want to impress your boyfriend and asked for my help. Now, I gave you options and you chose one. And once you choose, there's no turning back."

"I only chose this because the name is funny, Mick, can you make something else?"

"Me?" Mick asked with a little bit of drama in his tone, and Caitlin would bet her money that he was wearing one of his funny expressions, like wide eyes and eyebrows up. "I'm not making anything. I'm an assessor here, doll, you are the one cooking. And no, no changes."

Lisa pouted even more and looked at him with puppy eyes, and that was the moment Caitlin decided to interrupt.

"Hi Lis," she greeted stopping by the stand Snart and Rory were in. "Mick."

"Ah, we calling by first names already?" he mused. "I didn't realize we got that far."

Ignoring the comment, Caitlin kept her eyes on Lisa.

"I never pitched you as a market girl," she observed hoping that she'd have a farmer's market partner, and Lisa made a face.

"Not really. But I do like to cook, sometimes," confessed the Glider and Caitlin's eyebrow went up. Something besides Cisco seemed to connect her to Lisa after all, even if it wasn't exactly what she really wanted. "Cait, help me out here, tell him this tastes like nothing."

She offered Caitlin a piece of the pitaya, and the doc accepted, even though she knew its taste very well.

"I know, I love pitaya," she admitted, popping it in her mouth. She talked around it. "It's weird and sweet, and kinda awesome."

Mick chuckled a satisfied "Hah!" that made Lisa roll her eyes.

"Yeah," continued Caitlin nodding. "It goes really well with coconut and lime."

Mick opened his arms as if saying "See?!", and then he said-

"See?! I told you so. Trust me."

To which Lisa just sighed very dramatically and then signaled to the stand's farmer to separate a few fruits for her. Mick turned to Caitlin, leaning down a bit to be at eye level with her, almost, and fake-hushed his next words.

"Don't mind her, she's just giving me attitude," as if it was normal a 30 years old woman 'give attitude' to a man, but Caitlin supposed that that was what happened when said man was practically an older brother. "She wants to impress her boyfriend, like it's fucking 1958 or something, and asked me what would 'match Cisco's personality'," he air-quoted with a lot of drama, which seemed to be their #1 trait in whatever they did. "So I put together a few options and here we are."

Caitlin raised an eyebrow, unable to hide the smirk that was forming and wondering what a long way they had come, to see Mick Rory help Lisa Snart pick a dish to impress Cisco.

"Mick!" Lisa gasped. "Did you just admit that 'sweet and weird, and kinda awesome' are personality traits of Cisco?" she said, faking shock, and Caitlin smiled while Mick grunted.

"Maybe," he said. "But if you ever mention it to him, I'll skin you with a butter knife."

Lisa giggled.

"We both know you won't do that," she dismissed, and he crisped his eyes.

"Do we?" Mick replied. "Do we really, Snart?"

The women exchanged a look, and then Lisa paid for the fruits to a wide eyed farmer.

"He's joking," she assured, though no one was really sure about it. It was better to change the subject.

"How do you know so much about food anyway?" Caitlin asked Mick, and she gained one of his smiles as an answer.

"Sorry, Doc," he said, already walking away from her. "Gotta be a Level 5 friend to unlock that story."

Caitlin smiled, and waved a goodbye to the duo. Level 5 wasn't very away, if she made some quick math. And she could climb her way up to that, probably. Maybe with a few more meetings at the market, who knew?

She, then, turned to the farmer.

"Hi, I'd like a couple of pitayas as well. Do you have the yellow ones?"


	3. Sweet Potatoes

**Sweet Potatoes**

"The trick is to cut in thin slices and always, _always_ use new oil to fry them," Mick Rory was telling Caitlin when they stopped for a snack at the Chinese stand.

It had been a couple of weeks since the last time they randomly met at the farmer's market, and they were both actually surprised they had never seen each other there before, the market was easily their favorite place in the city. Between yakisobas and Spring Rolls, the Doc and the Pyro engaged in a discussion about the best way to eat sweet potatoes without making it look like athlete's food. Caitlin was a big fan of sweet potatoes cream with pumpkin, but Mick was making a big case of the chips.

"Another nice trick is to season the oil, you know?"

"Like a poche egg?" she wondered.

"Exactly. Put some garlic powder, some black pepper, and then the chips, keep the temperature low and controlled… you won't even have to salt it after."

"Sounds good," Caitlin admitted, and Mick's face told her that it more than _sounded_ good. "But aren't we supposed to feel the sweetness of the potato? Like isn't it the point?"

At that, Mick looked at her borderline offended, and shook his head.

"Don't be that person, Caitlin," he said, and they both registered the use of her first name. "I thought you were better than this."

"What?" she exclaimed a little confused. "All I'm saying is-"

"Don't," he cut her, avoiding to look at her. Such drama queens, these rogues. "You might say something that makes you fall back to Level 2."


	4. Chili

**Chili**

"This is the best place to find everything we need, trust me," Caitlin said again to Iris and Lisa as they entered in the farmer's market.

"Uh, everything that _Cisco_ needs," corrected Iris. "Why does he need all that chili again?"

"Science," Cait said at the same time Lisa said "It was a bet."

The Snart girl accepted a grape from a farmer and then looked at the other two, who were looking at her with raised eyebrows behind their sunglasses.

"What?" she exclaimed, mouth full. "You know Cisco and Dante are competitive, they made a bet! But I guess you are kind of right, he's using science to beat his brother."

"Did you have anything to do with this bet, Lisa?" wondered Iris, and the Glider just smiled, eyes looking around calmly.

"Oh, look!" she exclaimed. "Pepper!"

With nothing else to say, she strutted to the stand where she saw the peppers, and Iris and Caitlin were about to follow her when the journalist held the doctor's hand with a shocked expression. Caitlin followed Iris' eyes and stopped as well, almost stepped back.

"What in heaven-" started Iris, taking off her glasses, and Caitlin blinked a couple of times wondering if what she was seeing was real.

A few feet from them, a shirtless and sweaty Mick Rory was helping a farmer unload boxes of fruits from a truck, unaware of the ladies watching him. His burns looked a lot better than the first and only time Cait had seen them; they covered his arms, part of his back and right side, and a little of his… tanned and… defined chest.

Caitlin had to literally close her mouth, she was positive she would drool. _When, how_ did she start to find Mick _hot_?

"I was not prepared for this," Iris said, and Caitlin looked at her. "I did not see it coming."

"Really?" asked the doctor, genuinely surprised. Say what you want, but those shoulders were _evident_ even under the usual many layers of clothes he liked to wear.

"Hey, Mick is here!" Lisa exclaimed, unaware of her friends' highly impressed expressions that they had to hide in record time. "He can help, his chili sauce is the best I've ever had," she passed by them and went to the stand where the arsonist was, Iris and Caitlin followed her. "Hey, Mick, are you trying to give the ladies a heart attack?" she joked, and her companions were ready to deny anything until they noticed that they weren't the only two checking him out like some juicy… and delicious… Christmas meal- _Oh God, Caitlin_!

Mick chuckled, dismissing her words, and put the box down. It was the last one, it seemed, because the farmer was closing the truck.

"Just helping out," he said, and then nodded acknowledging the other women. His eyes lingered a little longer on Caitlin, or maybe she was imagining it, before going back to Lisa. "You lost?"

"No," Lisa replied. "I actually could use your help too."

He nodded, not even asked what kind of help she needed, and reached for something in his back pocket. His tee, that was hanging there. He put it on, and Caitlin could _swear_ that there was a collective sigh in that corridor.

"They look better," the doctor suddenly said, surprising even herself, and Mick looked at her – this time for real, this time stepping closer as she stuttered and pointed at his arms. "Uh, what did you do?"

Mick stopped right in front of Caitlin and smiled, and she swallowed again, eyes wild behind the glasses – thanks God for sunglasses!

"There is a history, alright," he said. "And I can tell you all about it if you grab a drink with me at Saint & Sinners. Tonight. What do you think?"

Think? Caitlin? She was not so sure that was an option at the moment, so she just nodded, and then-

"Yeah, sounds good," she said, her voice coming out stronger than she expected.

"See you there, then, Doc. 7p.m."

It was a date.

Caitlin smiled, feeling her body, against all odds, relax. _What in heaven indeed, Iris_ , she thought, and avoided to look at her girl friends for a long time, because Lisa's raised eyebrow already said too much.


	5. Peanuts

**Peanuts**

In fact, Mick Rory didn't need to go to the farmer's market that Saturday morning. He had nothing to buy and no farmer friend had asked for his help. But he went anyway. Because. She was there.

That was literally his only excuse.

So he sat near the door with a few handfuls of peanuts and waited for the her to come out, hoping that she'd come out through that specific door. He chose carefully the one that was nearest to her car. Damn, he was pathetic.

Anyway.

She was inside.

He knew not because she told him, but because he heard Lisa talking to her on phone going on about this special lunch they would make together, and they still needed a bunch of stuff from the market, and since she was the one who lived _closer_ , she should head over there before the market closed.

She could've told him herself, if they had exchanged numbers. Lisa and Cisco had his number and hers, but they hadn't particularly told the other "Hey, by the way, call me?". Not before the failed date a couple of days before, nor after. He was stupid that way around her.

His car was also very stupid, but not only around the pretty Doc, it just was that way.

"Those things are deadly, you know?" Caitlin said in her soft voice, and Mick's head snapped up at her. She was standing only a few steps from him, right in front of him, a heavy market bag in her hands. He didn't know what she was talking about. "Peanuts," she explained. "They have this cancerous substance that only manifests if you eat _a lot_ of them, and you eat _a lot_ of them."

"How can you tell?" He replied, trying to sound daring, and the Doc blushed a little. Or maybe it was just how the sun was hitting her face.

"I noticed," she told him.

Oh.

Okay.

He was ready to pop another peanut in his mouth, but he stopped short, dropped it back in its paper bag.

"What do you recommend to replace it, then?" Mick said looking up at her, and Caitlin smiled a little. "Keep in mind that nothing goes better with beer than this. And please don't say linseed."

At that, Caitlin laughed. Like genuinely laughed, full on, even leaning a bit, and covering her mouth – why would she cover that beautiful smile of hers? (Pathetic, you see? Mick Rory's main trait the past days) It wasn't even funny, he truly wanted to know, and he truly hated linseed. And it was something, him hating food.

"No, I was-" she said, controlling the laugher and then she took a couple of deep breaths. "Uh, I was actually going to say sunflower's seed."

"Bird food?"

"It's actually pretty good," she argued. "And granola, it also goes well with practically everything."

"No nuts?"

Caitlin shook her head and it almost looked like she was sorry.

"Damn."

"Sorry."

"That's really sad."

"Just trying to look out for your health."

Mick smiled to her, then, and she smiled back.

"I actually like granola, not gonna lie," he told her.

"With oat, to make pancakes!" She exclaimed, and Mick's eyes lit up.

"Blueberry jam and raspberries on top," he added, and it looked like Caitlin would melt.

"Yes!"

"So good," they said at the same time, and then smiled.

They fell silent after that, just looking at each other for a few moments. It looked like Caitlin wanted to say something, but the words were never formed. Mick had never been a silence filler.

She put her hair behind her ears with delicate fingers and then held her market bag a little tighter. It was someone's birthday. People in Central City liked to be born on summer. The Snarts were. Cisco. Damn, Mick himself was born right at the edge of August, hottest day of summer 1970. Today was someone from the nerd's club name day, but he didn't know the person, so.

Caitlin doesn't give him excuses. He liked that about her, beside her good looks and her great cooking knowledge. Caitlin was real. Not many people were.

She looked over her car and stepped back, and Mick smiled.

"See you?" She asked, and he nodded. "Bye, Mick."

He, then, waved. And then-

"Bye, Cait."


	6. Tomatoes

**Tomatoes**

"You know how people are obsessed with olive oil?" Mick was telling Cait as they picked tomatoes, and she hummed to let him know that she was listening. "They put it everywhere, in everything. Like almost literally _everything_."

Caitlin smiled to a tomato, and then turned to him.

"You trying to tell me that you're a butter person?"

Mick almost smashed the fruit he was holding.

"Right?" he exclaimed, though it wasn't a proper answer to her question. "Olive oil does not work well in high temperatures. You must use it very carefully and very consciously. It tastes good, but you gotta know when to use it, but butter?"

"I like its smell when it starts to melt, and you add garlic and pepper," Caitlin told him, and showed him a tomato. Mick shook his head no, and so she discarded it back with the other dismissed fruit. "I keep the temperature almost high, and it melts quickly-"

"You're doing it wrong," he interrupted. "Keep a medium temperature, about 180 degrees, and _l_ _ _et it melt__ , it's beautiful. When it's halfway there, you add the garlic, let it fry a bit, and then you season."

"Is that why you like butter so much?" she asks, not letting pass his emphasis on how beautiful it was to watch something melt. "Because it works so well with fire?"

Mick grunted, avoiding to look at Caitlin. That looked like an answer.

"How do you know so much about food anyway?" she tried the question again, and this time he looked at her. If he answered, she knew that it meant she had reached level five on the friendship ladder, and it was interesting that they already had one (failed) date on account before that.

"I grew up in a farm," he said, keeping his voice down. "It was my grandparents' until grandpa passed away and my mother took over the business. Dad would make me work with the crops, and I _hated_ it. Grandma knew. So she'd find some lame excuse to make me stay with her during the day, and then she'd teach me something, like how to bake or how to make the perfect bologna sauce. That's how I know so much about food."

Caitlin was smiling. It was very rare, Mick Rory putting together so many words at once. It had some marvelous and deep meaning, in her opinion.

"Is that the bologna sauce you are going to teach me tonight? Your grandma's?"

At that, Mick smiled and looked at her.

"Who said I was going to make bologna sauce, Doc?"

She raised an eyebrow, and nudged him.

"Why do we need all this tomato, then?"

"Oh, you so anxious," he joked. "You spending way too much time with me."

Surprising as it was, Caitlin didn't even blush at his obvious flirtation, at the way he leaned over her a bit. She was pretty sure that he was aware of his charm, and she didn't even mind.

"You happen to be a pretty nice company, Mick Rory."

Mick laughed, just this chuckle that made his chest shake and heat come out of him.

"Let's see if that opinion continues after tonight."

Truth be told, she could hardly wait.

After that, his smile changed from flirt to mischief, and he dropped one last tomato in their little basket before walking away.

"I ain't paying for those, Doc!" which meant that dinner was on her tonight. At least he'd be the one cooking.


	7. Peaches

**Author's note** : Rated M-ish. You'll see why.

* * *

 **Peaches**

It was a week until Caitlin saw Mick at the farmer's market again, but not since she last saw him. Their date? With the bologna sauce and some homemade pasta, a strawberry pie for desert? At her apartment? Very successful.

Like, _very_ successful.

She still has the marks all over her inner thighs to tell the story.

(the memory of how he told her that night ' _I don't do gentle, Doc_ ', and then blew her mind still makes her a little weak on her knees) (she still can't believe how turned on she sounded when she replied ' _I don't want you to_ ') (is that insane?)

Truth is, Caitlin saw Mick the previous morning, when she, once again, woke up late for work. Exhausted. Drooling on his chest. She kind of felt amazing for a total of 14 seconds, until she realized what time it was, and had to run to get ready and go. He had hardly moved, but managed to trap her in bed again for precious five minutes, kissing the breath out of her.

Note to self: Mick Rory's mouth was very, _very_ talented.

And that was the thought that crossed her mind when she spotted him between the peaches and the grapes. From a fair distance, Caitlin watched Mick pick a couple of peaches and smell each of them. He said something to the farmer, who nodded, and then he chose the peach in his right hand to give it a bite.

She started to lose it with the first bite, watching his lips go around the fruit, how they seemed to know how to savory it, but then the juice slid down his chin and his hand, and he gave the fruit another bite that reminded her that he sort of knew how to do gentle ('sort of' being an euphemism, because he really knew; he knew very well), and when he licked the juice from his hand…

"Did you drive here?" Caitlin asked behind him. She didn't even know when she moved, nor how fast she got there, and he spun around, eyebrows slightly up with her words, though he smirked when he saw her.

"I did," he answered.

And if they got a warning for ' _not being very respectful at the market's parking lot in the middle of the morning_ ', well…

You can blame it on the damn peach.


	8. Strawberry

**Strawberry**

Red fruits were Caitlin's favorites since she could remember. She was absolutely obsessed with blueberry jam, and could not have a piece of red velvet without fresh raspberries on top.

But strawberries were her weakness, and Mick knew it.

He was planning on making a surprise strawberry pie for her, and it was a big deal to choose the right fruit so the pie would be delicious and naturally sweet. They didn't have any _special occasion_ to celebrate or anything (thought they _had been "together"_ for exact 20 days) (not that Mick was counting), it was just that she worked a lot and had helped the town's heroes catch a bunch of bad guys the previous day, so she deserved something nice, right?

(Part of him knew that it was pathetic, how she had him head over heels so fast, but a bigger part did not care at all. Cait was an incredible woman, and he didn't deserve that luck, but he also wouldn't complain)

"I thought you said strawberries were overrated," Caitlin said behind him. She was getting good at sneaking up on him like that.

"I thought I told you to stay home and rest," Mick replied, and she raised both eyebrows in her typical ' _Do you_ _really_ _think you can tell me what to do?_ ' way, which, let's be real, he didn't. "They are," he added. "Overrated. But it's season, so."

Mick shrugged, and Caitlin smiled before she reached for a fruit.

"Did you have Gideon checking that nasty cut?" she asked, and then bit the strawberry. Mick nodded.

"It was nothing," he dismissed.

"It was _nasty_ ," she corrected. "You need to stop trying to save everyone."

"I wasn't trying to save _everyone_!" he protested. Because okay, he did push Cisco out of the way of an attacker, and he did torch a meta who tried to kill a dog, but it was all because – and she knew it, because her cheeks got adorably red – they were all headed her way, and he wouldn't let anyone hurt her. Caitlin smiled, and he braced himself.

"Don't-"

"My hero," she mused, and he rolled his eyes. That damn doc.

Caitlin held Mick's jacket, and gave it a little tug, so he leaned down to give her a kiss. She tasted like perfectly mature strawberries.

Yeah, she'd definitely be the death of him.

"Ew!" Someone exclaimed near them, and when they parted, they saw Lisa noisily drinking some juice with a straw. Cisco was by her side working hard on being expressionless. "You know when you walk in the living room and there is your brother sucking face with your best friend? That's how I feel right now."

"You should be familiar with the feeling already," Mick replied crossing his arms.

"Never ceases to be gross," she nodded. Caitlin got closer, leaning against Mick's chest, and he embraced her. "Get a room, you two!"

Lisa grabbed Cisco's wrist and dragged him out of there, but Caitlin just laughed. It was a nice, easy sound that made her look even prettier. Mick really didn't deserve her, but he had had many lifetimes already. He most definitely would gladly accept the lucky of this one.


	9. Pumpkin

**Pumpkin**

"Why do you even need pumpkins for?" an exasperated Cisco asked, as he and Caitlin walked around the farmer's market. "It's not even season yet!"

"Because!" she replied, clearly avoiding the real answer, and so Cisco stopped, hands on hips, eyes narrowed. "Why do you care?"

"It's for Rory," he said slowly and with that tone of judgment. "You are pumpkin hunting for Rory!"

Caitlin crossed her arms, but only for a short time, because she was holding a heavy bag of sweet potatoes. Yes, she was going up and down that market to find all the best items to make something for Mick, because he was amazing. Couldn't she take some time to make him something special, like he always did for her?

"It's so unbe-fucking-lievable that you're _sleeping with Mick Rory!_ " he continued, and she felt herself not only getting uncomfortable, but also mad at him.

"How is it that you can practically live with Lisa Snart and I am the crazy one?"

"Uh, you do know what happened while they were away traveling through time, right?"

Caitlin took a deep breath, eyes closed. She did know. And she also knew what Cisco meant, that there couldn't be a comparison between Lisa's and Mick's records. But what she knew better, in her gut, was that Mick shouldn't be judged by his past. And he wouldn't, not on _her_ watch.

"If you insist, yes," she answered with certainty, opening her eyes. "And I also believe in this thing called redemption, which Mick very much achieved, so cut the crap. Besides, it's his birthday tomorrow and I want to make something nice."

Cisco rolled his eyes, and then he glared at her, suddenly realizing-

"Hold on, you're making the sweet potatoes cream with pumpkin?" he asked. "For Rory?" Caitlin nodded.

"Please, tell me you will give me some!"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Only if you stop being a dick _and_ help me find the pumpkin," she said, and Cisco smiled.

"Yes, ma'am, right away!"

With determination, Cisco started to look for the out of season pumpkin that Caitlin so needed for her desert, and she followed him satisfied. No one resisted her favorite sweet potatoes dish, and for Mick's 46th birthday, she'd make sure he'd be part of that list as well.


	10. Carrots

**Carrots**

It was late in a Thursday night when Mick told Caitlin that he'd be heading upstate really early the following day to help a friend out, so he should probably get going.

"I thought you hated farm work," she said, after he told her what they'd be doing.

"Yeah, when my father was forcing me into it. I actually enjoy to watch stuff grow, when I'm the one who'll cook it after."

Cait would ask how many carrots from his friend's farm Mick would be cooking after, but she was distracted with the idea of him having a tomato garden in the backyard. A month ago, it wouldn't make any sense in her head, but now? She could totally see it.

"No, stay," she had said, holding his arm to keep him from leaving her side on the sofa. "I could drive you tomorrow."

"You have to work," he argued, but she had her own arguments and at the end of the day, it was settled.

What Mick didn't expect was to see Caitlin in jeans and boots, sunglasses on after she parked in front of his friend's house.

"Where are you going?" he asked confused, when he saw her following him.

"I'm curious, I want to look around. And maybe help out a bit," she said smiling.

"But don't you have to work?"

"I called Barry, got myself a day off," she explained smiling. "It's Friday, come on!"

She really seemed excited about all of that, so why should he try to stop her? Mick introduced Caitlin to his friend and his family (a wife and three daughters of ages seven to thirteen), and since she was willing to help out, Cait was put with the girls to separate and clean the carrots.

She helped the middle girl to separate the "ugly carrots" from the "pretty ones", played with the little one, who saw all sorts of funny figures that the ugly vegetables formed, and found out that the older girl could as well be a science genius, delivering all kinds of trivia about the farm's products.

They all sat together for lunch – pork chops, mashed potatoes and broccoli -, and the wife joked about "how hooked Mick was". Surprisingly enough, he didn't fight her on that, but joked along, which once again showed to Caitlin how many layers he had.

A couple of months had passed since their first random meeting at the farmer's market, but they already had walked such a long way, it was amazing.

At the end of the day, they went back to Mick's place. Part of them couldn't stand to see any carrot anymore, but even so they prepared together mashed carrots with ginger, and scallops that tasted perfect, because it was them making it.

* * *

 **a/n:** Next chapter is the very last, guys! Thanks for the patience and for staying with me for so long. I'll post the last chapter this week.

x


	11. Apples

**Apples**

It was the last weekend of the farmer's market.

Like everything spring brings and fall takes, Mick had to leave. That was the price of dating a guardian of time.

Caitlin didn't mind. She herself had her own struggles to worry about now, her own mess to make sense of, her own fears to face alone.

(God forbid the year Mick Rory becomes a hero being also the year Caitlin Snow becomes a villain, 2016 sounded really fucked up)

They talked it out, made peace with the separation. Sounded like they'd been together in forever, not almost three months. Felt that way too.

Life was so weird, burning as fast as the spark could last, leaving frozen specks of memories to tell the story.

Caitlin brought an apple close to her nose to smell it, the richness and sweetness of the fruit bringing her back to old memories from when her father was still alive and they'd bake pies together for her grandma's favorite fall festival. If she had an apple tree like the one in her childhood home, she'd be one happy person, for sure. It was only when she picked her third apple that she heard his voice.

"Come on, mate, there's got to be some good avocados left still," Mick complained. Caitlin turned around and saw him with his back to her a couple of tends down.

"It's a tropical fruit, Mick," the farmer said apologetically. "You know how those things work here up North."

She could physically see him sigh because he was so big, with such large shoulders. She left her little basket of apples behind and came closer to him.

"Do you have any idea how terrible that fabricated food is?" he wondered frustrated, and Caitlin couldn't help but smile. The farmer sighed too.

"I know, dude," he said. "No one should eat that industrialized shit."

She chuckled.

"Trouble in paradise?" Caitlin asked, interrupting them, and Mick turned to her.

"The avocados, Cait," he said defeated. "They are gone."

She knew how much he liked the fruit, if she gathered correctly guacamole was his favorite food, he put it in everything.

"You know we don't have those things in the Waverider, how am I supposed to copy with Haircut if I don't even have consolation food?"

Cait patted his shoulder friendly, as consolation.

"You know," she said. "There's a tree at Cisco's parents' house. If you ask Lisa, maybe she can get you some."

Mick thought about it for a second.

"She did say that his family loved her," he observed. She smiled. "How you doing, Doc?"

"I'm all right," she said. "Choosing some apples and spices. You?"

He looked down at the many fruits in front of them, at his bags with no avocado in them and pouted. It was quite the scene.

"Could be better, but well," he complained.

"Can't always get what you want?" Caitlin completed and Mick nodded eyeing her with those grey eyes of his.

"Just sometimes, or for a limited amount of time," he answered.

She closed her mouth taken aback. She knew the feeling, understood it perfectly.

"We had good times, didn't we?" Mick asked and Cait smiled.

"That we did," she said. There was a lot going out in her head, but not enough space in her mouth to turn them into words. Just like everything spring seeds, Mick had made room in her, but now it was time to bed it. "When do you leave?"

"Tonight for Star City," he said and she nodded.

"I guess I'll see you on the other side, then," Caitlin said and despite what anyone but her would expect, Mick smiled – a crooked smile, only for trained eyes, but a smile all the same.

Satisfied, she walked by him back to the stand where she was choosing the apples before, and she didn't look back to see if he was looking, but she did hear him say-

"You betcha, Doc."

-which was his own way of promising that even though the summer was over, they didn't need to be.

* * *

 **a/n:** thank you so very much for sticking around and waiting, and for leaving your thoughts during this little journey. It was fun to write this fic and I hope you all enjoyed. x


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